Monthly Archives: March 2013

Men’s Basketball Season Review

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When the Mountaineers learned they would be without the services of starting point guard Mike Neal until the beginning of the spring semester, many critics feared the Mountaineers would fall short of their already low expectations. For the most part, they were correct, as Appalachian started the season very slowly, not really beating anyone until a surprising road win at UMKC. The win was uplifting at the time, because it was an actual win, and not a loss. The Roos went on to finish the season with a 8-24 record. The following game, Appalachian went down to Columbia to face South Carolina, and played well, but lost by five points to a team that would eventually finish the season 14-18 and only won four conference games in a down year in the SEC.

Once conference season began in full force, Appalachian knew it would be in a dog fight for top seed in the conference tourney with two other teams. Appalachian opened January with three conference wins over Wofford, Elon and UNCG. Then the Mountaineers starting showing signs of what the theme of the season would end up being. When Appalachian plays their best, they can be pretty decent, and when they play their worst, it can be really bad. The problem, was that there was a big gap between the good App team and the bad one.

The western road swing began with an overtime collapse at Chattanooga. Appalachian held a big lead late in the game and allowed the Mocs to force overtime and eventually win. That was followed by a close loss at Samford to a very hot shooting team. That was followed by another game against Georgia Southern where the Mountaineers let a big lead evaporate, but was able to pull out the win in overtime. The next two games were losses to Davidson who was superior to Appalachian in the regular season, and Charleston, where Applachian lost another lead and gave way to the Cougars.

For the rest of the season, the Mountaineers beat everyone they should have, and lost to the same type of teams. Appalachian beat Georgia Southern again in overtime, blew another lead on the road at Elon before dropping a game to The Citadel at home where the Mountaineers were totally out of it from a mental standpoint.

However, the season came down to the last weekend, with a chance to win the four seed in the conference tournament with two wins. Appalachian snuffed out a double overtime win over Samford and then played their best game of the season in the home finale over Chattanooga.

In the conference tournament, Appalachian handled Furman, who upset Samford in the 5/12 game and gave Davidson a good scare in the semifinals. Davidson went on to win the conference tournament as Appalachian said farewell to Nathan Healy and Jamaal Trice.

The Mountaineers finished 15-16 on the season, winning ten home games, and losing eleven on the road. Jason Capel has basically been assured he will fill out his first coaching contract, but will need to earn a second contract next season. He will be a lame duck coach unless Charlie Cobb grants him a short extension just to ensure an easier path on the recruiting trail.

Healy was the biggest surprise of the season. The former walk-on turned himself into an all-conference player and defensive player of the year. Healy led the team in scoring (14.5), rebounding (7.7), steals (59), and blocks (45). Healy played more minutes, hit more field goals and three pointers, and shot better from the free throw line than any other player on the team.

Jamaal Trice was sick for most of the season from various ailments. Despite that, Trice hit 35 three pointers, shooting 41% from behind the arc, and averaged seven points per game. Trice started seven games and was instrumental to the team down the stretch in the last couple weeks of the season.

The future appears to be bright, but potentially thin in the post, based on what our eyes have seen thus far. Next season’s starting lineup should include Mike Neal, Tab Hamilton, Jay Canty, Tevin Baskin and Micheal Obacha. The Mountaineers used a very short bench all season long, so there is not much tape on freshman Rantavious Gilbert, Frank Eaves or Bennet Rutherford. Brian Okam may not return to school as he has enough credits to graduate, and fell out of favor with Capel after a certain free throw he attempted. Chris Burgess will provide a solid backup to Mike Neal, as he improved more than any other player on the team throughout the season.

The question marks will be whether or not a sophomore or incoming freshman will be able to garner significant playing time. The backcourt is quite crowded, with three more guards committed for the fall, and one forward. Mike Kobani may have the best chance as he is 6’7″ and 250 pounds. Rantavious Gilbert has a great chance to get playing time with his length and potential to be a great defender. Until November, many questions will be answered regarding the direction of the program, from a potential head coach extension to conference realignment.

 

Baseball (9-5) hosts defending Ivy League champ Cornell

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After splitting a midweek set of games to Georgia, Appalachian returns back home to the friendly turf at Beaver Field after nearly a three week layoff. The Mountaineers have not played at home since February 27th, a win over High Point. The Mountaineers have struggled on the mound recently, as the back half of their weekend starters have had trouble going deep in games.

Jamie Nunn has been solid all season, but Jeffrey Springs and Sam Agnew-Wieland have been erratic, combining for six appearances that have lasted fewer than five innings, compared to only three starts going six innings or more. Both of their earned run averages are well over 5.00, but somehow have managed a 4-2 combined record. They have also combined to hit nine batters and have given up five runs on three occasions. Before conference play, at least one of them has to get their act together for Appalachian to contend in conference play.

Cornell has played eight games thus far this season, going 4-4 against non baseball powers. The Big Red have been a team that has played a lot of small ball this season. Cornell has yet to register a triple or a home run and only fourteen of their sixty-two hits are for doubles. Appalachian has already registered  52 extra base hits, including 16 home runs and 33 doubles. The big key in this game will be the pitching. Appalachian always swing the bat well at home and usually puts up plenty of runs, but will it be enough to back up the damage that Springs and Agnew-Wieland will give up? Cornell’s pitchers have not pitched a lot this season, having only played eight games and Beaver Field offers a differnt dynamic for any opposing team.

First pitch for the Saturday’s doubleheader is set for 1pm, while the third game of the series will also get started at 1pm on Sunday.

 

App. State Men and Women advance at SoCon Tournament

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Women:

Appalachian and Charleston played a really close game until the final few minutes when Appalachian’s pressure finally got to Charleston. Appalachian was in control for much of the game, but could never really extend their lead in the first half. Charleston led by a point on one occasion, but Appalachian quickly regained the lead. For much of the game, the Mountaineers led by just under ten points as Charleston hung around as long as they could.

The Cougars were still in the game with 2:09 remaining, as they only trailed by six points. The Mountaineers would finish the game on a 8-0 run to mark the final tally at 74-60. Six of those eight points came at the free throw line via Maryah Sydnor and Anna Freeman. Bria Huffman hit a basket as well in that final run by the Mountaineers.

Anna led all scorers with 23 points and added ten rebounds. Maryah Sydnor scored 17 points and added a half dozen rebounds. Raven Gary added 14 points, six rebouns and four assists. Courtney Freeman chipped in eleven points. Three Mountaineers, Sydnor, Anna, and Courtney accumulated twelve of the nineteen Appalachian fouls as all three were called for four. Charleston threw up another twenty three point attempts, and were mostly unsuccessful, hitting only five of them. The Cougars attempted 28 more shots than Appalachian, and the Mountaineers turned the ball over 13 more times than their opponent.

Appalachian gave up 20 offensive rebounds to Charleston, and must clean that up if they want to beat Chattanooga. The Mocs pounded Appalachian just eight days ago at home. The key to beating the Mocs is playing good perimeter defense and getting in the face of the Mocs three point shooters. Appalachian must also be very aware of Chattanooga’s post players, and do everything they can to limit the Mocs to one shot on the offensive end. Appalachian and Chattanooga will face off at noon on Sunday.

(We made the tough decision and attended the men’s game on Saturday)

Men:

Appalachian jumped all over a tired Furman team in the first half and never looked back. Appalachian used a 7-0 run the jump out to an 18-7 lead early in the first half. Moments later, a 10-2 run by Appalachian up by seventeen points, a lead they would two more times in the first half before heading to the locker room with a fourteen point halftime lead. Appalachian used active hands on the defensive end, something we had not seen all year long. Their hands were in the passing lanes on the wings, and once the ball was tipped, the Mountaineers were off and running for easy fast break points.

Furman cut the lead to five points at 38-33 early in the second half, but Appalachian once again answered with a huge run, another 7-0 run, that put that back up by double digits with 16:17 to play in the game. Furman would once again cut the lead back down to single digits at 47-40, before Appalachian finally put the Paladins away. Over the next 5:23 of game time, the Mountaineers went on a 19-5 run that gave them the Mountaineers their biggest lead of the game with just over eight minutes to play.

Furman responded with a 10-0 run, but it was too little too late for the Paladins. Tevin Baskin put a bow on the game as Furman went up for a breakaway dunk with 13 seconds left and Baskin emphatically blocked it away to preserve a 74-60 final margin.

In the earlier meeting against Furman, Appalachian had very balanced scoring, as four players scored 14 points. Scoring was very balanced against Furman in the tournament as no player scored more than 13 points. Nathan Healy and Jay Canty scored 13 as Jamaal Trice added twelve points to round out the Mountaineer double figure scorers. Baskin and Tab Hamilton added nine points each while Michael Obacha scored eight points and led the team with seven rebounds.

Next up for the Mountaineers is Davidson, who blistered Georgia Southern with three pointers, nailing ten in the first half, and thirteen for the game. Five Wildcats scored in double figures in the 86-59 win. Davidson handled Appalachian in both meeting this season, so this game will be a tall task for the Mountaineers. Most consider Appalachian the weakest of the four top seeds and predicted they would make an early exit in the tournament. Davidson and Appalachian have never met in the semifinals before and Appalachian is 1-3 all time against the Wildcats in the tournament. Davidson has easily brought the most fans to the tournament, but hopefully a 6pm start will bring a few more Mountaineers to Asheville.



Appalachian opens tournament against Furman

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Furman pulled off the upset of the evening last night if you want to believe most SoCon experts. The fact is, there is not a huge gap between the bottom teams of this conference and the lower middle teams. Samford, who Furman beat on Friday, prefers a slower pace of basketball, which induces a game of half court basketball where execution is vital. Samford and Furman both play very short benches and a Furman victory to us was not as surprising as it was for most. Furman had been playing much better down the stretch, despite losing ten games in a row.

Furman won their eighth game of the season last night while getting several players back from injury. Stephen Croone came back from a foot injury, playing in only his second game back from injury and scored eleven of Furman’s 55 points. Croone drilled the Mountaineers for twenty points in their only meeting earlier this year in Boone. Charlie Reddick scored eight points and grabbed ten rebounds in a game where the Paladins outrebounded the Bulldogs 34-24. Furman also had a big game from Bobby Austin who scored seventeen points in 34 minutes.

Appalachian must regroup and focus after an emotional week of basketball last week. The Mountaineers were able to win two games in order to clinch the bye. Furman may have gained some confidence last night, but will have to play after less than a day of rest. The only meeting between the two schools earlier this year featured another one of Appalachian’s games where they blew a big lead and had to hold on late. Appalachian had an 18 point lead in the first half before eventually allowing Furman to cut the lead to one point late in the game. March is not the time for loss of focus and Appalachian must keep its down and grind this win out before worrying about who they may play tomorrow.

We are still waiting on Vegas to chime in on this game. This usually happens where we cannot find a line for tournament games until right before tipoff. Considering other high profile games that are being played across the country, it is very possible that we do not see a line in this game at all. We will keep checking until game time. Our guess is the Mountaineers are favored by 5.5 points, but that could be generous. It is possible this line could be as high as 7 points.

11:25 UPDATE: Appalachian has opened as 6 point favorite. This is what we were expecting. We will keep waiting for movement before we make a pick.

Women’s Basketball to face Charleston

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Despite an up and down season that has confused and bewildered the team, the Mountaineer women have one more chance to redeem themselves when they tipoff at 2:15 against College of Charleston in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament. Many teams and coaches would love to finish where the Mountaineers did when you consider their overall record at 19-9, but it has been a few years since the Mountaineers failed to claim their twentieth win in the regular season. The top half of the conference  basically owned the Mountaineers this year, as Chattanooga, Samford and Davidson swept them.

Charleston is a team that can beat you several different ways and have been a roll in the last couple weeks. The Cougars have won three straight since losing to Appalachian on February 20th, and have done so in somewhat convincing fashion. Charleston handled Wofford by nine points, Western Carolina by twelve points and Furman by twelve points. Prior to the loss to Appalachian, Charleston beat Samford by one at home and Davidson on the road by three points. If you look back further, Charleston has won eight of their last eleven games.

The key for Charleston has been a change in offensive philosophy the last few games. Against Appalachian, Charleston put up 23 three point attempts, and have only put up 22 threes in their last three games combined. The Cougars have driven to the basket more, and although they are not a good free throw shooting team, more attempts at the line in game action will improve those statistics.

This game is a dangerous one for the women, and basically they all are in the tournament. The road will not get easier for the Mountaineers and playing one game in Kimmel Arena will make things different for all teams involved. This could be the final game for several seniors, who have been instrumental in turning this program around in the last four seasons, and I expect an effort worthy of the fear of wearing that jersey for the final time.

Furman edges App Baseball in Game 1

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It was a rough night for the Appalachian battery in what turned out to be a pitchers duel in Greenville as the Paladins won the first game of the series 3-1. The Mountaineers outhit Furman 10-7, but could not get the clutch hit that would send runners across the plate. Appalachian stranded ten runners for the game, five in the final two at bats, and six in their last four innings. The bottom third of the Mountaineer lineup was a combined 0/10 at the plate, outside of a pinch hit by Dillon Dobson. Noah Holmes was granted a night to be the designated hitter while Dobson was slumping, keeping William Head at third base. Holmes batted fifth in the lineup, pushing Jaylin Davis down to sixth spot.

Jamie Nunn (3-1, 2.00) was good enough on the mound to keep the Mountaineers in striking distance, but did not receive any support on offense, or behind him in the field. The Mountaineers committed two errors on the night, one from Will Callaway and another from Jaylon Davis. Nunn pitched seven innings, adding six strikeouts, and twelve ground outs while throwing 98 pitches. Tyler Moore worked the eighth inning on 14 pitches, but did strikeout two batters. The loss was Nunn’s first since a relief effort against Western Carolina last season.

Baseball visits Furman for first place

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It is extremely early in the season, only the second conference series for both teams, but Furman has made its presence known early in the season. The Paladins are fresh off of a series win over Elon where the Paladins crushed Elon in their two wins, scoring ten runs in both games. Even more impressive was that the series was played at Elon. Furman then went on to win two games at usually strong Coastal Carolina in the midweek. The Chanticleers are now only 4-8 this season, but have lost to North Carolina, Kentucky, Elon, and NC State. Coastal’s record may not look great, but those are some good baseball programs they lost to. Furman’s other losses are to Gardner-Webb and South Carolina. Seems to me that Furman is legit, and this series will be huge in determining the SoCon race.

Furman was predicted to finish 7th in the SoCon by the coaches and 8th by the media, so this record is a surprise to everyone in the SoCon world. This is best start to a season for Furman since 2001. Last year, Appalachian had one of its best weekends of the season against Furman in a Friday game and Saturday doubleheader. The Mountaineers outscored Furman 34-7 in those three games, with the Mountaineers scoring fourteen runs in two of those games.

 

Samford buzzer-beats Appalachian…again

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Samford’s Jazmine Martin nailed a three pointer with three tenths of a second on the clock to beat Appalachian on Monday night in Boone. It was second time this season that Appalachian had lost to the Bulldogs on a last second shot. In both instances, Appalachian connected on their final possession to tie the game. In the game from earlier this season, Samford hit a running layup, and this time around, Martin’s three pointer came from the baseline and rattled in.

The game began in an odd fashion, with one official calling in sick just moments before tip-off as the game started with two officials. The two officials who began the game went on to call three seconds in the lane on both teams in the first half. They also called twelve fouls on Appalachian while only calling six on Samford in the first half. Samford would knock down eleven of their twelve free throws in the first half. In the second half, the foul totals were equally inconsistent, as Samford was whistled for five fouls while Appalachian was called for ten. Samford would hit eleven of thirteen free throws in the second half. So, for the game, Appalachian was called for twice as many fouls, that led to Samford shooting ten more free throws, and scoring thirteen more points than Appalachian on the line for the game. Over a third of the Samford points (22 of 63) came on the foul line.

The result keeps Appalachian solidly as the fourth seed in the SoCon Tourney, but also caps off an unspectacular 13-7 conference record. The fourth seed still provides Appalachian a bye, and will face off against Charleston on Saturday at 2:15pm at Kimmel Arena on the campus of UNC-Asheville.

 

Baseball (7-2, 2-1) wins series over Davidson

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Reminder: Baseball updates will be abbreviated until after the SoCon Basketball Tournament concludes this weekend in Asheville.

Game One:

Appalachian opened its conference schedule with a 4-1 win over Davidson on the road. Jamie Nunn continued his strong start to the season, keeping Davidson off balance over seven strong innings. Nunn scattered five hits and struck out eight Wildcat batters, while walking three batters. Nunn is now 3-0 on the season, pitching 20 innings and striking out 19 to only five walks.

William Head, who has assumed the starting role at third base, picked up two hits as did Alex Leach. The corner infielders also picked all three of the Mountaineers RBI in the game. Jaylin Davis and Preston Troutman walked twice each. Taylor Thurber pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Rob Marcello picked up his fourth save of the season.

Game Two:

Appalachian carried a 3-1 lead into the ninth inning before falling in the final at bat to Davidson. Billy Jones made his first mistake as coach by leaving in Josh Wilson for what was going to be a three inning save. The Mountaineers could only retire one batter in the bottom of the ninth as Davidson produced three runs and three hits while capitalizing on two Mountaineer errors.

Jeffrey Springs pitched well enough to win despite giving up nine hits to the Wildcats. Springs struck out six batters in six innings, but had to work for it as he threw a season high 108 pitches for the game. Wilson was relieved by Thurber in the ninth, but the damage was done, as all runs were charged to Wilson.

Appalachian had six hits in the game, but no Mountaineer collected multiple hits in the game. In all, the Mountaineers struck out ten times for the game. This was a winnable game for Appalachian, even with the offense scoring their fewest runs of the season in their second loss.

Game Three:

Appalachian woke up on Sunday morning and made up for lost time from Saturday. After only accumulating six hits on Saturday, the Mountaineers pounded out 15 hits and exploded for ten runs. The Mountaineers bolted out to a 7-0 lead and never really looked back. The Mountaineers did get into a small jam in the eighth inning, where they led 10-4, but were able get out of a bases loaded jam against the Wildcats.

Sam Agnew-Wieland (3-0, 4.82 ERA) pitched seven innings striking out eight while walking one. The “Hyphen” was also wild on occasion as he hit two batters and had two wild pitches. Luckily the offense built enough of a lead for those statistics to become moot this time around. Ryne Frankoff made his first appearance of the season and gave up a run in the eighth inning. Tyler Moore threw six pitches in the ninth inning and was rewarded with three easy groundouts.

C-Notes: Appalachian has stolen 22 bases this season, with Hector Crespo tying a school record on Sunday with his 85th career stolen base…..Both Mountaineer third baseman are batting over .380…..William Head is second on the team batting .440 while Noah Holmes is batting .381….DH Dillon Dobson may lose some AB’s to Holmes as he is batting a team low .156…Appalachian failed to hit a home run against Davidson